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My Hypothyroid experience Post by TennGrandma43 0 Replies

            I am 66 years old and have had hypothyroidism for over 20 years.  Before I was diagnosed I had not even heard of hypothyroidism.  

            I was a grade school teacher at the time I found out that this is what I had.  I was feeling very tired all the time.  I felt that I had to drag myself out of bed in the mornings.  I remember really having to struggle just to get through the day and to fix dinner in the evening for my family.  I also thought my skin felt different, rougher and thicker somehow.  My hair has always been fine, but it seemed to be flatter, lifeless, and harder to deal with.  The most unusual thing though was the feeling that my finger nails were coming loose from the nail beds.

            I finally went to the doctor.  The blood work identified a low level of thyroid hormone.  I was put on synthroid and told that I would have to take it the rest of my life.  It took about a half a year to get the correct dose.  Then I started feeling like myself again.

            After about 15 years I moved to a different state and started seeing a different doctor.  This doctor said I could take a generic.  In a few months I started feeling different.  My legs would ache terribly at night and so I did not sleep well.  When I got cold, it was difficult to get warm again.  Anytime I got too hot, it took longer to cool down.  Constipation was a problem.  Blood tests over several months revealed that my thyroid hormone was sometimes too high and sometimes too low.  In other words the generic wasn’t able to keep the level steady.  I changed doctors.  My present doctor has said do not take a generic because they do not provide consistent results.  So, now I stick with synthroid and stay the same level and feel better.

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